Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Cameras

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential safety implications of the mandatory introduction of dashboard cameras in (a) cars, (b) vans and (c) heavy goods vehicles.

Andrew Jones: No such assessment has been made. The provisions on forward vision for drivers are already regulated in the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (as amended).

Motorways: Road Traffic Control

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its methods of alleviating road congestion on motorways after an incident; and what plans his Department has to improve those methods.

Andrew Jones: Highways England Traffic Officers play an important role in keeping traffic moving by helping road users in the event of a breakdown or collision, clearing debris from the motorways and returning the road back to normal.To assess how well Highways England are performing in clearing incidents, a target has been set to clear 85% of all lane impact incidents on the motorway network with one hour, as set out in the Roads Investment Strategy (RIS) and reported on annually. Highways England works closely with the other emergency responders including police forces, ambulance authorities, and fire and rescue services to improve its incident response.

Railways: Compensation

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requests for information his Department made regarding the cutting to 15 minutes the length of delay after which compensation for train passengers will kick in.

Claire Perry: In our manifesto we committed to improve compensation for delayed rail passengers and the Spending Review reiterated this. We have already changed the system to get compensation paid in cash, not travel vouchers, and we are putting new compensation obligations like automatic delay/repay into future franchise specifications.We will negotiate hard with rail operators to get even better compensation arrangements for passengers and are considering options on this at the moment.

Railway Stations: Carno

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on rail freight movements of the re-opening of the Carno station in Powys.

Claire Perry: The case for re-opening Carno station is one of a number of possibilities that the Welsh Government is discussing. The interests of all users of the rail network, including freight operators, are protected through the contractual access regime overseen by the Office of Rail and Road.

Railways: Freight

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the effect of a new rail freight depot near Northampton on the local economy.

Claire Perry: The development of proposals for rail freight interchanges is a matter for the private sector and therefore the Department has not undertaken any such analysis.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the briefing by the National Audit Office, entitled Delivering major projects in government, published on 6 January 2016, what steps his Department is taking to (a) correct inconsistent reporting of costs referred to in that briefing and (b) ensure more accurate reporting of costs on major projects.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has issued clear guidance on how projects should report financial data. This includes whether costs are reported as real or nominal and further information on how costs are calculated. The Department is working with the Infrastructure Project Authority (IPA) to ensure consistent portfolio reporting across Government.

Caravans: Europe

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many motorhome owners from continental Europe visited England in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is not collected by the Department.The Department collects information on the number of passengers and passenger vehicles travelling to England from Europe via rail and ferry, however in both cases it is not possible to identify the vehicle type, or whether the passengers are motorhome owners.

Aviation: Lasers

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of laser pen technology in proximity to aircraft and airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Specific legislation prohibiting the use of laser pens against aircraft has been in place since 2009. Under Article 222 of the Air Navigation Order (2009), it is an offence to “direct or shine any light at any aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot of the aircraft”. Breaches of this article can be punished by a fine of up to £2500.In addition, under Article 137, it is an offence to “recklessly or negligently act in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft, or any person in an aircraft”. If convicted, offenders could face up to a maximum penalty of five years in prison.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the independent safety regulator, has established a working group with relevant public and industry participants to consider what further measures may help counter the threat from the misuse of laser pens. The Government will continue to monitor closely the outcome of this work.

Roads: Safety

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take in 2016 to ensure that young people under 16 understand road safety issues from the perspectives of pedestrians, cyclists and car users.

Andrew Jones: THINK! supports pedestrian road safety education though engaging intermediaries – e.g. teachers, road safety professionals & parents - who are able to deliver road safety messages using free resources, to children and teenagers in a credible and impactful way. THINK! is reviewing their education offer in order to ensure materials and road safety messages are up-to-date and relevant for the current generation.THINK! is also working closely with partners at the RAC foundation and the Scouts Association to develop road safety resources for out-of-school groups, to ensure road safety is continued to be taught in and outside the classroom.The Department is providing £50 million over the next four years to support Bikeability cycle training in schools in England (outside London). This funding will help to increase children's road awareness, encourage active travel and improve future motorists’ empathy for more vulnerable road users.

Aviation: Antisocial Behaviour

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work his Department has undertaken on helping develop a common reporting standard and collection method for incidents of disruptive passengers on flights departing from or arriving in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I and my officials have met with industry representatives to discuss the issue of disruptive passengers on a number of occasions in recent months. In these meetings we have encouraged the industry to work towards improved data collection on incident occurrence. This will help to ensure that both industry and government have a full picture of both the scale and nature of this issue.

Buses: Driving Tests

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current waiting time is for a PCV driving examination at Watnall test centre; what steps his Department is taking to reduce that waiting time; and when he expects that waiting time to be reduced.

Andrew Jones: The current waiting time for a vocational, LGV or PCV test at Watnall test centre is 11 weeks.The Driver and Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) is working hard to reduce waiting times. It is recruiting for driving examiners across the UK and has specifically targeted high-wait areas. Watnall was targeted in a recent recruitment campaign DVSA launched. Once new examiners are in place in Watnall, DVSA is confident waiting times will reduce. In the meantime, DVSA is continuing to monitor waiting times closely, deploying examiners from low-wait centres and offering weekend testing wherever possible.

Aviation: Alcoholic Drinks

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the use of sealed tamper-proof bags for duty-free purchases to discourage consumption of alcohol in airports or onboard aircraft in order to reduce disruptive behaviour on flights.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government welcomes industry’s commitment to tackling the issue of excessive alcohol consumption in airports and on-board aircraft. The use of tamper-proof bags for duty-free purchases is currently being trialled at a number of UK airports and as part of that trial industry will reach a view on the potential merits of this approach.

Department for Transport: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are 15 defibrillators provided in the buildings managed by the Department for Transport.

Railway Stations: Access

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of UK railway stations have steps but no lift access.

Claire Perry: Information on the facilities available at individual stations is collected and held by the Association of Train Operating Companies, rather than the Department. However, we understand that around 460 stations in the UK have step free access to and between all platforms. I also note that both railway stations in the Hon Member’s constituency – Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate – are now step free.

Aviation: Noise

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has used the methodology in his Department's WebTAG guidance to assess the annual cost of aircraft noise on health in the UK each year.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Health impacts associated with aviation noise are already factored into policy appraisal where there is relevant robust evidence, including monetisation of these costs where this is possible. Earlier this month Defra published a review of recent research on the effect of exposure to noise and hypertension. This information has been integrated into the policy appraisal process as set out in a report published in November 2014 by Defra for the Inter-Governmental Group on the Costs and Benefits of Noise. The report is: Environmental Noise: Valuing impacts on: sleep disturbance, annoyance, hypertension, productivity and quiet.It has also been incorporated into DfT’s Transport analysis Guidance (WebTAG) (the DfT’s transport appraisal guidance and toolkit). This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-analysis-guidance-webtag.

London Airports

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to carry out (a) a full health impact assessment for each of the airport expansion proposals under review and (b) an assessment of the effect on different sections of society of each such proposal.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An appraisal of the impacts on people, including health impacts and the impact on different sections of society, for each of the short-listed schemes will be carried out as part of the work on preparing the building blocks for an Airports National Policy Statement. The Airports Commission has already made its own assessment of these impacts and we are considering these carefully.

London Airports: Noise

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what account the Government's forthcoming review of the night noise regulations for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports will take of the WHO Europe's recommendation that noise at night should not exceed 40 dB Leq.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The WHO’s 2009 Night Noise Guidelines for Europe do not refer solely to noise from aviation, but are based on the Lnight,outside indicator which measures the average noise that individuals are exposed to over all nights of a year – including from all transport sources and non transport sources such as industry and the neighbourhood.One of the environmental objectives of the current night flight restrictions is to limit and where possible reduce the number of people significantly affected by aircraft noise at night. This is based on the measure of the area and number of people within the 6.5 hour night quota period contours, and in particular the 55dB LAeq contour. This is the threshold also used in the WHO Night Noise Guidelines for Europe. This is also consistent with the Government’s overall policy on aviation noise to avoid significant adverse impacts.The Government’s proposals for the night flight restrictions from October 2017 will continue to take account of the latest evidence on the health impacts of night flights.

Aviation: Noise

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the aircraft noise attitudes survey carried out by Ipsos Mori on his  behalf; and how he plans to use the findings of that survey to inform aircraft noise policy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently analysing the results of the survey carried out by IPSOS Mori to produce a report, which will be independently peer reviewed. The Government hopes to publish a report later this year on the findings.The report along with other relevant robust evidence will be used to inform the Government in setting out its aviation noise policy.

Stratford Station

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 5 November 2015, Official Report, column 1834, what steps he has taken to exploit the opportunities arising from future international services at Stratford International Station, once Crossrail arrives at that station.

Claire Perry: Crossrail services will serve Stratford domestic station, rather than the Stratford International station which is operated by HS1 Ltd. The Department for Transport has no powers to specify that an international operator – whether current or future – must stop at Stratford International station.It is possible that an international operator may be able to produce a positive business case for using Stratford International station with the arrival of Crossrail. If this is the case, that operator would need to discuss their proposal with, amongst others, HS1 Ltd.

Railways: Tickets

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of ticket machines were fitted with labels advertising ticket offices of each train operating company on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry: Under the terms of the Ticketing Settlement Agreement“the opening hours of each Ticket Office must be prominently displayed at a location nearby that is accessible to members of the public at all times unless the Authority agrees otherwise” (s6-16, p.144).It is for the operator to decide where the times are displayed. Therefore, the Department has no information as to how many would be on ticket machines.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 7 of Directly Operated Railways Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15, for which 10 franchises Directly Operated Railways prepared contingency plans for a potential transfer; and when each such contingency plan was completed.

Claire Perry: As stated in their Annual Report for 2014-15, Directly Operated Railways (DOR) have been working with the Department to support the rail franchising programme. In particular, they undertook contingency planning in respect of 10 franchises between autumn 2013 and autumn 2015. These were:Great Western (DA1)*Great Western (DA2)*NorthernGreater AngliaFirst Capital ConnectSouth EasternTrans Pennine ExpressEast Midlands TrainsLondon MidlandCross CountryThis contingency planning work was concluded or stopped at the point that franchise contracts were awarded to the relevant private sector company. Contingency planning started by DOR in respect of the Cross Country franchise will be taken forward by the Department in due course.*there were two projects undertaken in respect of the Great Western Franchise as there were two separate franchise contracts awarded during the period.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what Network Rail maintenance, renewal or enhancement works that were planned to be carried out under blockade during the 2015-16 Christmas and New Year period were cancelled or deferred.

Claire Perry: Network Rail has advised that of the schemes at the 80 highest priority worksites over the 2015/16 Christmas/New Year period, only one was cancelled – planned bridge works at Old Lodge Lane at Purley, which were cancelled due to high winds.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Highways England capital programme schemes are behind schedule.

Andrew Jones: Progress is being made on all the major schemes listed in Highways England’s Delivery Plan and it is on track by the end of March 2016 to have started construction on 5 schemes and opened 5 schemes - all scheduled to start or open in 2015/16. Naturally, within this significant £15 billion investment programme of 112 schemes within the current road period, a small minority of schemes may occasionally experience variations in timescale or in the precise form of the solution.In particular there are two schemes where the schedule has been revised.For A63 Castle Street progress of the main scheme has been delayed in order to investigate more fully the environmental impacts caused by the scheme and how these can be best mitigated. However, the construction of Princes Quay footbridge is on track to begin in April. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has also kept the Rt Hon Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Alan Johnson MP), in whose constituency this scheme is, regularly appraised of the relevant issues.After considering responses to the recent public consultation for the M54 / M6 / M6 Toll, an announcement of the preferred route has been delayed in order to allow a reappraisal of the options.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received from charges for accessing records in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15; and how many such requests were processed in each such year.

Andrew Jones: The total income received by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) from charges for requests for vehicle and driver information in each year from 2009/10 to 2014/15 is shown below:2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15£9,414,000£9,412,000£10,354,000£11,180,000£12,878,000£15,021,000The table below shows the number of chargeable requests made to the DVLA for vehicle and driver information in each year from 2009/10 to 2014/15:2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152,861,7523,248,1004,251,2344,624,8875,362,2906,315,160It is important to note that although the DVLA is permitted to charge a fee for the release of information, it is not permitted to profit from it. Fees are set to recover the related administrative costs for the different types of requests for information and the fee levels are regularly reviewed as the cost base changes over time. This means that it is the applicant and not the taxpayer who funds this activity.There are a range of organisations outside of Government that legitimately request data from the DVLA. These range from insurance companies and finance companies to toll chargers. The DVLA also supply anonymised data to companies providing vehicle check services to improve road safety, consumer protection and deter vehicle crime.The number of requests for data have increased during this period for a number of reasons including changes to car park management and the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 which prohibited wheelclamping without lawful authority. Employers also need to check employee driving entitlement.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Tenancy Agreements

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many family-friendly tenancies have been taken up in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Brandon Lewis: The Government does not hold this data.We are progressing longer tenancies by promoting a model tenancy with bodies representing landlords, tenants, letting agents, mortgage lenders, and local authorities. Recent figures in the English Housing Survey, Households 2013-14 show that tenancy lengths in the private rented sector have increased to an average of 3.5 years.

Sewers

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds  on the number of planning applications which were refused on the grounds that the sewerage network or waste water treatment facilities did not have sufficient capacity to service those developments in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not collected by the Department.The National Planning Policy Framework expects local councils to work with other authorities and providers, such as water and sewerage companies, to assess the quality and capacity of infrastructure and its ability to meet forecast demands. This includes infrastructure for wastewater and its treatment. This should help inform councils’ Local Plans, which should plan positively for the development and infrastructure required in the area. Further information is provided in our on-line planning practice guidance, ‘Water supply, wastewater and water quality’, available at http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/blog/guidance/

Land Drainage

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings were built as part of a development that included sustainable drainage systems in England and Wales in each of the last five years;

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is note collected by the Department. Sustainable drainage systems are delivered locally in line with national planning policy and building regulations. National planning policy in England has clear requirements relating to sustainable drainage systems including that priority should be given to their use if development is considered in areas at risk of flooding. These requirements are underpinned by planning guidance, including guidance on sustainable drainage systems which was strengthened last year. Additionally, developers must comply with the building regulations which give priority to sustainable drainage systems in their hierarchy of arrangements for dealing with rainwater.

Local Government: Greater Manchester

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average expenditure was per head of local authorities in (a) Bolton and (b) Greater Manchester in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: The average revenue expenditure per head for the financial year 2014-15, the latest available, was £1,675.33 per person for Bolton Council and the average for all local authorities in Greater Manchester was £1,896.10 per person.

Communities and Local Government: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government provides the following number of defibrillators in each of its buildings:BuildingNo. of defibrillators5 St. Philips Place, Birmingham,12 Rivergate, Bristol,1Temple Quay House, Bristol,1Citygate, Newcastle upon Tyne,0High Trees, Hemel Hempstead,1Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre , London,1The building that houses the Department's headquarters is not managed by DCLG but, we are aware that there are no defibrillators on site.

Housing: Greater London

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19817, for what reasons his Department does not produce estimates of the proportion of people who will be unable to afford to rent or buy a home in London in 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The proportion of people who are able to afford to rent or buy a home at a point in time is a function of macroeconomic and a number of other factors around which there is a high degree of uncertainty. As such, we do not believe such an assessment would prove to be reliable.The Department publishes data on housing costs and income as part of the English Housing Survey. The latest survey, for 2013-14, shows that in England the proportion of income spent on housing costs was 18% for mortgagers, 29% for social renters, and 34% for private renters. The full report is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461439/EHS_Households_2013-14.pdfIn respect of housing need in London, it is for the Mayor of London, working with London Boroughs, to identify and plan for the market and affordable housing needs in London.

Nuclear Power Stations: Non-domestic Rates

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to retain business rates generated by new-build nuclear power stations.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local authorities in England already retain 50% of the busines rates generated by nuclear power stations. In October, we announced that by the end of this Parliament, local govenrment would be allowed to keep 100% of their local business rates. We will be developing the details of the new scheme over the coming months in discussion with local government and other interested parties.

Public Houses: Loans

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Pub Loan Fund; and when he expects that fund to be accessible to community groups.

Mr Marcus Jones: Good progress is being made on the development of the pubs loan fund. We hope to be in a position to make a more formal announcement shortly with communities being able to access the support later in the Spring.

Coastal Communities Fund: Essex

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18488, what amount of funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be allocated to the Jaywick Coastal Community Team from 2017 to 2021.

Mr Marcus Jones: Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund is awarded to projects through a competitive bid-led process rather than being allocated directly to specific places or Coastal Community Teams. To date no successful bids have been received from organisations in Jaywick.Funds are awarded to projects that best meet the programme's aims to promote sustainable growth and jobs. Details of the Fund's next bidding round for projects starting in 2017-18 will be announced in the Spring. The Economic Plan being prepared by Jaywick's Coastal Community Team will provide an important context for considering bids to the Fund from public, private and voluntary/community sector organisations in its area.

Public Houses

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish its response to its consultation on the use of restrictive covenants for pubs which closed in September 2011.

Mr Marcus Jones: We intend to publish the Government response to the consultation on whether the use of restrictive covenants in the pubs sector was having a negative impact upon communities and will do so in due course.

Affordable Housing: Stratford

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the housing on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is affordable.

Brandon Lewis: There is outline planning permission for approximately 6,800 homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The target is for 31 per cent of these homes to be affordable, which means over 2,100 affordable homes across the entire site.The exact percentage of affordable homes delivered will depend on the market conditions as each scheme comes to market.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Nurseries

Hannah Bardell: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps he is taking to provide crèche services for the children of hon. Members.

Tom Brake: Following consultation with Members, a nursery model of childcare was determined as best fulfilling their needs and the needs of the children. The Nursery opened in 2010. A crèche would need to be separate from the nursery, and would require appropriate accommodation. The Nursery Governance Committee discussed this at its meeting in October 2015 and was not persuaded of the case for a crèche.However, I am sure that the Commission would welcome fuller consideration of the case for such services, and of an appropriate funding model.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Hamas' rearmament in Gaza; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the Middle East Peace Process of that rearmament.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports of Hamas’ rearmament in Gaza. We remain deeply concerned by Hamas' attempts to rearm and its efforts to rebuild infrastructure, including the tunnel network in Gaza. We are clear that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza must permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel. Any Hamas rearmament undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.

Israel: Palestinians

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of the glorification by the Fatah movement of terrorists who have murdered Israelis.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I am aware of reports of statements praising the actions of terrorists. This includes the recent statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which praised Nashat Milhem as a martyr following his attack in Tel Aviv on New Year’s Day. We condemn the glorification of terrorism and all incitement to commit violence, whichever side it comes from. We regularly raise incitement with the Palestinian Authority, and have urged key figures to encourage calm and condemn violence.

Turkey: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on fighting in Diyarbakir, Turkey, and surrounding areas.

Mr Philip Hammond: I receive regular reports of developments in Diyarbakir and the whole of south east Turkey. The fighting in the region is extremely concerning. The Sur district in Diyarbakir is currently under curfew as part of the government’s response to terrorist attacks from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The UK condemns these attacks as we condemn all terrorism. PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can. I passed my condolences for victims of a recent PKK attack in Diyarbakir to the Prime Minister of Turkey during my 14 January visit to Ankara.

Pakistan: Prisoners of War

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Pakistan on the case of Flight Lieutenant Gurdev Sing Rai and Captain Kamal Bakshi.

Mr Philip Hammond: Sadly, the fate or whereabouts of a number of Indian and Pakistani combatants in the wars that India and Pakistan have fought since 1947 is not known to their relatives.The UK works closely with other states and the Red Cross Movement to promote compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including the Third Geneva Convention which governs the treatment of Prisoners of War in situations of armed conflict. We call on states and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and act in accordance with their obligations under it. Within this context, we regard establishing the fate and whereabouts of combatants, and arranging for the release of any surviving combatants as a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve.

Iran: British Nationals Abroad

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to improve accessibility and reduce costs of visas for British citizens wishing to visit Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Decisions over the cost and accessibility of Iranian visas are a decision for the Iranian Government. We continue to engage directly with the Iranians at all levels to move towards normalising and improving our respective visa services.

Iran: Diplomatic Service

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic staff are based at the British Embassy in Tehran; and what change there has been in the number of such staff since the announcement of the reopening of that Embassy in 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are currently 7 UK diplomatic staff based at the British Embassy in Tehran, including the new Charge d'affaires who arrived at Post on 31 December 2015. This is a significant increase from the 2 UK diplomatic staff that were based in Tehran before the formal reopening last year. We anticipate further additions to the number of Embassy staff in due course.

Burkina Faso: Terrorism

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security situation in Burkina Faso since the recent terrorist attacks in that country.

James Duddridge: The Government is concerned about the security situation in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region. We condemn the shocking attack that took place in Ouagadougou on 15-16 January, and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the families affected by this terrible act of terrorism. This is the first ever terrorist incident in Ouagadougou, though there have been incidents near the Malian border over the past year. We will continue working with our international partners to support stability and development in the Sahel region.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects to provide an Answer to the Written Question 19992, tabled on 14 December 2015.

Mr David Lidington: I responded to Written Question 19992 on 20 January 2016.

Iran: Saudi Arabia

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2016 to Question 21464, what progress his Department has made on looking into reports of Saudi Arabia bombing the Iranian Embassy in Sana'a; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Hammond: From the evidence we have seen, it does not appear that a Saudi airstrike hit the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a. We continue to urge calm and are speaking with all sides to de-escalate tensions in regional affairs.

Syria: International Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a communique will be produced following the Syria donors conference in February 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Germany, Kuwait, Norway, the UK and the UN, as co-hosts of the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016), plan to issue a statement at the end of the Conference summarising the outcomes.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Termination of Employment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the change in the number of civil servants who have had their employment terminated due to absence related to their sickness record has been in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: This information is not held centrally. Each employing department operates their own attendance management process and keep their own records.The Civil Service strives to improve health and wellbeing at work for our staff and this remains a priority. We have reduced our level of sickness absence over the past five years and continue to actively manage our progress against benchmarking information. However if an employee does not meet the attendance level expected of them then we will take appropriate action, which in some cases might lead to dismissal.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the devolved administrations, (b) civic society and (c) industry on the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: The Government first announced it was exploring options for bringing private capital into UK Green investment Bank plc (GIB) in the Autumn Statement 2013. It was subsequently confirmed in both the 2014 Autumn Statement and 2015 Budget debate that work was progressing on this matter.My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills set out firm proposals to move GIB into private ownership in a written ministerial statement of 25 June.On 15 October 2015, My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills made a further written ministerial statement in order to provide an update on work to implement the proposals and the need to repeal legislation relating to GIB.On 18 November, the Government published a detailed policy document on the future of GIB setting out the case for moving the company into private ownership and seeking to address a number of concerns that had been expressed about this.In support of these various publications and announcements, there has been substantial engagement and correspondence on the matter with environmental groups, stakeholders, members of Parliament and the Devolved Administrations, particularly the Scottish Government which raised a number of specific concerns. Much of the stakeholder engagement activity has been undertaken by GIB itself in view of its strong existing relationships with relevant stakeholders.

Hoverboards: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of hoverboards.

Anna Soubry: Self-balancing scooters, commonly referred to as hover-boards are regulated for safety under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. These Regulations require products to be safe. Enforcement of the Regulations rests with Trading Standards for consumer products. Trading Standards have already prevented over 100,000 being made available to consumers and further action is being taken as appropriate.The Regulations provide powers for non-compliant products to be prevented from being made available to consumers until they are brought into compliance. Where products are not brought into compliance Trading Standards can apply to the Courts for permission to destroy the goods.The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been working with Trading Standards to ensure consistency of approach to deal with these products and to raise the profile of the potential safety issues with consumers.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8811, what projections his Department have made of the potential increase in green investments in the UK in the next 10 years as a result of the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: We are working on the basis that UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) plans to invest at a rate of around £800m per year over the period to 2020 in a range of green projects.We believe that moving GIB into private ownership is the best way to ensure the company has the funding it needs to achieve this annual investment rate. This is because private ownership will give GIB access to much more capital from a much wider range of sources than if it remained in Government hands where it would have to compete for funding against all other Government spending needs.Moving GIB into the private sector will also mean GIB will no longer be subject to state aid controls, giving it scope to invest in a wider range of green sectors and types of project than if it were to remain state funded.

Business: Regulation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new statutory regulations on business have been introduced since May 2015; and how many regulations on businesses have been repealed in that time.

Anna Soubry: Under the provisions of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, the Government will list the measures it has made since May 2015 affecting business in its annual report to Parliament on delivering the Business Impact Target. The first report will be published in summer 2016. However, details of legislation made by all Government departments, their associated impacts; and regulations that have been repealed can be found on the Legislation.Gov website.

Green Investment Bank: Finance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8988, whether the Government has taken a decision on the funding of the Green Investment Bank's business activity in future years.

Anna Soubry: Government funding for the Green Investment Bank (GIB) for the 2016-17 period and beyond has now been announced as part of the current spending review. This is a good settlement for GIB and provides what GIB management wanted by allowing for 100% funding of GIB’s investments to the point of majority sale, assuming a sale in the next financial year.

Students: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of maintenance support for undergraduate students; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The support available under the student finance system is reviewed annually.An Equality Analysis of changes to the support package for full-time students in 2016/17 was published on the GOV.UK website on 3 December 2015.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Government has undertaken an environmental impact assessment of its policy to privatise the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: As set out in the answer to question 22471 on 18 January, the Government is moving UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) into private ownership so it can continue operating in the same way it does now only funded with private capital rather than relying on taxpayers’ support. The detailed background and supporting case for this move was set out in the policy statement we published on 18 November. Decisions on the proposed sale are being taken in accordance with best practice to ensure all available options are properly examined in a detailed business case and that a robust valuation process is followed. The process does not involve preparation of an environmental impact assessment as we do not envisage any direct environmental or regulatory impacts of a majority sale of GIB, or changes to pre-existing policy goals for GIB.

Students: Grants

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) value of maintenance grants issued in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics showing the number and value of Maintenance Grants awarded to English applicants for study at UK providers are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.The latest publication covering the last five academic years can be found here:"http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx"Publications covering previous academic years can be found here:http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/full-catalogue-of-official-statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england.aspx

Green Investment Bank: Job Creation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2015 to Question 3892, how many (a) jobs and (b) apprenticeships were created by each Green Investment Bank (GIB) investment; and whether he plans to monitor the performance of a privatised GIB in creating jobs and apprenticeships.

Anna Soubry: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) estimates that approximately 5700 jobs have been created during the construction phases of their projects and approximately 1000 jobs have been created during the operational phase of their projects. Apprenticeship numbers are not recorded separately from other jobs but any apprenticeship roles would be included in the figures mentioned above. We would expect a privatised GIB to continue to monitor the green and other benefits of their investments, such as job creation.

Overseas Trade: Iran

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many companies based in Scotland have expressed an interest in trading with Iran; and what steps the Government is taking to increase trade between Scotland and Iran.

Anna Soubry: The Government does not currently hold information centrally on how many companies have expressed an interest in trading with Iran.

Iran: Overseas Trade

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps diplomatic staff based at the British Embassy in Tehran are taking to increase trade between Iran and the UK.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.We want to help British businesses take advantage of the opportunities that economic re-engagement with Iran will bring. UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) are engaging with UK businesses to provide support and assistance to help ensure they benefit from opportunities as they arise. UKTI now have a presence in the British Embassy in Tehran.During his visit to Tehran in October, my noble Friend the Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Maude, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with his Iranian counterpart that sets the direction for our future economic and business relationship.There is a desire on both sides to build a long-term bilateral relationship based on partnership, where trade and investment is a key pillar.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on eradication of polio.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are both committed to global polio eradication. The Secretary of State and officials from her Department have had a number of meetings with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss polio. Officials also have regular policy discussions through both organisations’ participation on the Global Polio Oversight Board and its Finance and Accountability Committee.The UK is a top three donor to polio eradication, with a £300 million commitment from 2013 to 2018. UK support has been critical in bringing us one step closer to the finish line of a world free from polio, something people across the country can be immensely proud of.

Palestinians: Reconstruction

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will hold discussions with the UN on the alleged misappropriation of reconstruction building materials to Hamas in Gaza.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has provided £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit (MMU) which monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) in order to help ensure that materials are used for civilian purposes. The MMU has identified certain cases of resale or misappropriation of materials and taken appropriate remedial action, keeping donors including the UK closely informed. We take seriously allegations of misappropriation of building materials and have regular and regular discussions with the UN to raise these concerns.

Department for International Development: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has 2 HQ buildings in the UK, one in Whitehall and the other in East Kilbride, Glasgow. Each building has one defibrillator and all staff who are trained in first aid have had the appropriate training to use the equipment.

Syria: International Assistance

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the Government's priorities are for the Syria Donor Conference in February 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The core priority of the “Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016)” Conference is to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of all those affected by the crisis within Syria and to support neighbouring countries who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees. Both emergency 2016 funding and longer term funding in subsequent years are needed given the protracted nature of the conflict.The Conference must also address the longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis through supporting the creation of jobs and providing education, offering those that have been forced to flee their homes greater hope for the future.The Conference should maintain pressure on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and respect International Humanitarian Law, highlighting the deliberate and systematic abuses that continue to perpetuate the humanitarian crisis. Looking ahead, it will need to ensure the international community is well prepared to support a coordinated stabilisation effort.

Syria: Refugees

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to encourage donors to increase access to accredited quality education for Syrian refugee children in host countries in the region.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID supports education for children inside Syria and the wider region through the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI). NLGIis an initiative that aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict. To date, the UK’s total allocation for NLGI across the region is £115 million. As of August 2015, UK support has has provided over 250,000 children with education and over 673,000 children with psychosocial support. This includes accredited formal and non-formal education. The UK is also working with host governments to ensure non-formal education is gradually accredited by host country governments.The UK will continue to lead international efforts to support the education of Syrian refugees. We are working with host governments in the region, key education partners such as UNICEF and other donors, to develop and finance ambitious targets on education. The London ‘Supporting Syria and the Region Conference’ in February 2016 will be an opportunity to push ahead with this.

Syria: Refugees

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan have access to basic services such as health and education.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has allocated £304 million in Lebanon and £193 million in Jordan to support Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region. Whilst addressing the immediate needs of refugees and vulnerable members of host communities, UK aid is also supporting their longer-term resilience and stability through funding to essential basic services. For example, the UK has allocated over £27 million in Lebanon and £21 million in Jordan to support health related activities such as providing over 229,157 medical consultations in Lebanon and 102,205 in Jordan for emergency trauma and primary healthcare cases.As part of the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI) the UK is also working with other donors, UN agencies, NGOs and governments in the region to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict through long-term negative impacts on psychological wellbeing and lack of access to quality education. In Lebanon, the UK’s total pledge to support education now stands at £80 million, and in Jordan, the UK is providing £15 million over three years to improve the quality of public school education for both Jordanians and Syrians. In addition to this support to the formal sector in Jordan the UK has also providing £3 million so far to support Jordanians and Syrians in informal education.

Armed Conflict: Children

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure children receive education and protection in conflict zones.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID supports international efforts in conflict-affected and fragile countries to assist children and reduce their risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. This work is in partnership with mandated protection agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and UNICEF, as well as non-governmental organisations.DFID aims to improve learning outcomes, to reach all children in fragile states, and to keep girls in school. DFID supports children overseas to go to school and continue learning even when they are forced from their homes and this includes our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge that will enable up to 1 million more of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives. In addition, DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including support for the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and sit public school examinations.Education and protection will be key themes of the Syria Conference co-hosted by the UK in early February and the protection and education of children affected by natural disasters and conflicts will be addressed at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

EU Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion the UK contributed to the EU humanitarian and development budget in each of the last two years.

Mr Nick Hurd: UK contributions to EU Official Development Assistance (ODA), including development assistance and humanitarian aid, for the last two years was as follows:2013 £ million2014 £ million 1,220 1,144British share of overall EU spend is approximately 15%. The UK continues to work hard to ensure EU development aid focuses on the poorest and most fragile countries and that the EU becomes more open and transparent about the challenges it faces in implementing aid projects.

Burkina Faso: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what development and humanitarian support the Government has provided (a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally to Burkina Faso in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd: Since 2010 DFID has provided over £16m of bilateral humanitarian and development funding to Burkina Faso. This includes humanitarian assistance to prevent and treat malnutrition and provide support to refugees from Mali, work with communities to end female genital mutilation, and support to improve regional trade in West Africa.Whilst DFID does not require multilateral organisations to give a breakdown of where they spent core funding from DFID, the imputed share of DFID’s core funding to multilaterals that went to Burkina Faso between 2010 and 2014 (the latest year for which we have data) was £159m in total, ranging from between £34m to £47m each year. This was spent by multilaterals including the EU, the UN organisations, and the World Bank on providing a range of humanitarian and development support to meet priority needs in Burkina Faso.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Written Questions

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether new guidance has been issued to her Department on drafting responses to written parliamentary questions.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education regularly refreshes its internal guidance on drafting responses to written parliamentary questions to ensure that it is up to date.

Department for Education: Ministers' Private Offices

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide the private office telephone numbers for the ministerial offices of her Department to hon. Members; and for what reasons those numbers are not available to hon. Members.

Nick Gibb: The Cabinet Office publishes the list of Ministerial responsibilities, which includes contact details for all Ministers. For Ministers at the Department for Education, the switchboard number is given, and Members will always be put through to the relevant Private Office. Copies are provided to all Members upon publication, and are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities

Department for Education: Staff

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's spending on (a) temporary agency staff and (b) consultants was as a proportion of her Department's total budget in each year since 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Staff

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the equivalent Civil Service salary band was of each (a) consultant and (b) temporary staff member employed within her Department in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Staff

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) consultants and (b) temporary staff her Department employed in each of the last five years; and what the length of contract was for each such person.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Staff

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in which directorates (a) consultants and (b) temporary staff employed by her Department worked in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Admissions

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to launch its consultation on amending the school admissions code to enable summer-born children to be admitted to reception class at the age of five.

Nick Gibb: Ministers have announced plans to change the admissions system to support the admission of siblings and of summer born children. Ministers are currently considering whether to make any additional changes to the admissions system alongside this.Any changes will be subject to a full public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. The details of proposed changes and of the consultation will be announced in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Training

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on training prison officers to help prisoners with mental health issues in each of the last three years.

Andrew Selous: All prison officers receive training on mental health issues as part of their initial training course. The majority of mental health training is delivered locally and costs attributed to such training are not held centrally.The national NOMS Learning and Development department have spent the following in the last three years (staff and sundry costs only) training prison officers to help prisoners with mental health issues:2013 £k2014 £k2015 £kNational Mental Health Training247784

Medway Secure Training Centre

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22204, what action he took in relation to Medway Secure Training Centre between 30 December 2015 and 6 January 2016.

Andrew Selous: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is responsible for the commissioning of the youth estate. They have been keeping the Secretary of States office updated on the situation and actions they have regularly taken.The Youth Justice Board was informed of the allegations on 30 December. They suspended placements of new children and young people into the centre with immediate effect. They increased the presence of the YJB Monitor and the availability of the independent advocacy service provided to children and young people by Barnado’s at Medway. They sought immediate assurances from G4S that the staff named in the allegations had been suspended. The YJB suspended the certifications of all staff named in the allegations on 30 December.

Medway Secure Training Centre

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22404, when the Youth Justice Board ceased placements into Medway Secure Training Centre; and how many people were placed in that centre after 30 December 2015.

Andrew Selous: The Youth Justice Board suspended placements into Medway Secure Training Centre on 30 December 2015 as soon as it was made aware of the allegations. There have been no new placements since then.

Secure Training Centres

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) internal and (b) external investigations have been undertaken into self-harm, suicide and restraint in secure training centres in the last five years; which organisations undertook those investigations; and what the findings of those investigations were.

Andrew Selous: This information on investigations is not held centrally.

Contact Orders: Grandparents

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20478, how many applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren were made in the final quarter of 2015.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren made in the final quarter of 2015 will be available in due course.

Young Offender Institutions: Discipline

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of segregation have been recorded at each youth facility in each year since 2010; how many such segregations have been for more than (a) seven, (b) 15 and (c) 28 days; and how many boys in each youth facility were subject to (i) one episode, (ii) between two and five episodes and (iii) six or more episodes of segregation in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority and we are clear that segregation must only be used as a last resort, under careful control and regular review. The number of incidents of segregation in Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children's Homes (SCHs) has fallen by almost two third since 2010.The table below shows the number of incidents of single separation in STCs and SCHs for the years ending March 2010 to March 2014, broken down by establishment.Table A: The number of single separation incidents in STCs and SCHsYear ending March20102011201220132014Total incidents6,4674,4623,8812,7122,392Secure Children's HomeTotal4,6813,3503,3182,3201,904Aldine House637302449Atkinson Unit56----Aycliffe1,096534619646265Barton Moss240125167120146Clayfields1,5231,138637381445East Moor9056343848Hillside483539939402631Kyloe House204150---Lincolnshire40827226113387Orchard Lodge42----Redbank164961496227Sutton Place7----Swanwick Lodge217200221321110Vinney Green14520326119396Secure Training CentreTotal1,7861,112563392488Hassockfield1,017659426354404Medway402139581121Oakhill385416419Rainsbrook329260632344Due to the way the data is collected centrally by the Youth Justice Board for single separation incidents, it is not possible to provide breakdowns by days in single separation or number of single separation episodes per young offender.Information on segregation in YOIs is held by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). However, the way the data is collected and reported means that the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Personal Injury

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed increase in the small claims limit for personal injury on access to justice.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that insurers cannot under-settle claims made in person following an increase in the small claims limit.

Dominic Raab: The Government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course, including any necessary safeguards. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support for resettlement is given to sex offenders.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) provides a range of activities and services to those convicted of sexual offences; these are designed to help offenders reduce their risk of harm and reoffending, as well as to promote their resettlement on release from any term of imprisonment. They include accredited sex offenders treatment programmes, delivered in custody and the community. The Active Risk Management System has been developed with the Police to manage sexual offenders’ risk more effectively. More generally, sexual offenders are also given support while transitioning back into society, with the aim of reducing reoffending.

Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre: MTCnovo

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what arrangements his Department has in place to monitor the performance of MTCNovo's delivery of the custodial service at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre.

Andrew Selous: The contract with MTCnovo at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre (STC) will begin on 5th May 2016. During the transition of the new contract, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) will work alongside MTCnovo and the current contract holder at Rainsbrook STC to facilitate a safe and successful transition to the new contract.The YJB has responsibility for commissioning and overseeing the youth secure estate through monitoring and reporting performance at each STC site against the contract and STC rules. The YJB has a full time on-site Monitor at Rainsbrook STC supported by a part time assistant and YJB managers, to ensure that MTCnovo’s service delivery is in accordance with the contract and the STC rules, which set out how STCs should be managed and run. The YJB conduct regular walk-rounds to monitor compliance, analyse data returns, review reports - including incidents of use of force - and review contractor’s declaration of performance awards.

Prisons: Discipline

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which finds of what items were recorded by the Incident Report System in each facility in each of the last three years.

Andrew Selous: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of potential savings to the public purse arising from the proposed residence test for legal aid.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It is right that individuals should have a strong connection with the UK to benefit from taxpayer funded legal aid. The residence test proposed during the previous Parliament is a fair and appropriate way to demonstrate that connection.The Government does not currently record the residence status of civil legal aid clients so cannot accurately estimate the annual savings that may be achieved by introducing a civil legal aid residence test. It is likely there will be a reduction in legal aid volumes and expenditure from imposing residence restrictions on civil legal aid, resulting in savings to the legal aid fund.

Internet: Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the consistency of sentencing for people convicted of online fraud.

Andrew Selous: Guidelines on sentencing are produced by the independent Sentencing Council, which was established to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing while maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Council published a definitive guideline on fraud, bribery and money laundering offences in May 2014. The Council has a statutory duty to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines.The most recent statistics on sentencing for fraud offences is available through the attached link. The courts database does not separate online and offline fraud offences.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

Medway Secure Training Centre

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Youth Justice Board was informed of the allegations of abuse at Medway Secure Training Centre; and on what date the Youth Justice Board informed (a) youth offending teams and (b) social service departments who had children in their care in that centre.

Andrew Selous: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) was informed of the allegations on 30 December 2015 by the Chair of Medway Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and G4S. On 4 January 2016, Medway Local Safeguarding Children’s Board contacted the responsible local authorities of the 10 children and young people named in the allegations. On 8 January, the YJB contacted all youth offending teams and all Directors of Children’s Services to make them aware of the allegations.When the Youth Justice Board were informed of the allegations, they immediately suspended placements of new children and young people into the centre and suspended the certification of the staff named in the allegations so that they cannot return to work without YJB approval. Monitoring by the YJB at the centre was increased, as was the availability of the independent advocacy service provided to children and young people by Barnados.

Human Rights Act 1998

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) the consultation period on the proposed repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998 will not fall within the purdah period of the Scottish Parliamentary elections and (b) all devolved administrations will be fully consulted on that proposal.

Dominic Raab: We are committed to consulting fully on our proposals prior to the introduction of any legislation. We adhere to any guidance published by the Cabinet Office in respect of the pre-election periods.The government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK Human Rights Framework. We will engage fully with the devolved administrations, as well as with the public, legal, academic and civil society stakeholders across all of the UK, in the development of this work.

Supreme Court

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his oral evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee of 2 December 2015, Question 9, what progress he has made on determining his policy on whether to use a British Bill of Rights to make the Supreme Court a constitutional long stop.

Dominic Raab: We will announce proposals in due course.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 21704, whether spending by the EU on campaigning during the referendum campaign will be subject to those spending limit rules.

Mr Gary Streeter: As international governmental bodies, the spending limits set out in the European Union Referendum Act 2015 do not apply to EU institutions.The Electoral Commission has made clear its view that all EU institutions should nevertheless adhere to the same restrictions on the publication of promotional material that apply to governments and publicly funded bodies across the UK in the 28 days before polling day for the referendum. In addition, EU institutions should not, for example, undertake any paid-for advertising activity during the whole referendum period.The Minister for Europe has deposited in the library of the House of Commons a copy of correspondence with the Director General of the European Commission which says that the European Commission will not take an active part in the referendum and the related campaigns.Once the rules for the EU referendum have been commenced, referendum campaigners are only able to lawfully accept donations over £500 from certain ‘permissible’ sources. The permissibility rules provide that funding can only be accepted by referendum campaigners from certain sources connected to the UK, and, in the case of the EU referendum, Gibraltar. There are also rules and offences related to using permissible donors as agents to circumvent the rules.

Prime Minister

Syria: Military Intervention

Catherine West: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will amend the Memorandum of Understanding of 25 November 2014 under section 2(2) of the Justice and Security Act 2013 to enable the Intelligence and Security Committee to review documents related to the military action against Reyaad Khan in Syria.

Mr David Cameron: I discussed the scope of the Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC) Inquiry with the Chairman, my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve) and we have reached agreement on the disclosure of material to the ISC that will enable them to conduct a robust review of the threat posed by Reyaad Khan. The ISC have received contemporaneous intelligence assessments of Khan and will take further evidence in the coming weeks.The Chairman of the ISC has written to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the right hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), to set out the Committee’s views and this has been published on the ISC’s website. I understand that the letter makes it clear that the ISC’s remit is intelligence not military action.

Government Departments: Ministers' Private Offices

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will take steps to ensure that the private office telephone numbers of all Government Ministers are made available to hon. Members.

Mr David Cameron: The Cabinet Office publication, the List of Ministerial Responsibilities, includes contact details for all Ministers. Copies are provided to all Members upon publication and are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available on gov.uk.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Credit: Interest Rates

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate advertising by payday loan companies; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government has fundamentally reformed the regulation of the consumer credit market, including payday lending, transferring regulatory responsibility from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the FCA on 1 April 2014. The Government is concerned about consumer detriment in the payday market and believes the FCA’s, more robust regulatory system is helping to improve protections for consumers. It is important that consumers are protected from unfair costs. The Government therefore legislated to require the FCA to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans - which came into force on the 2 January 2015.

British Telecom

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department or Ofcom has made an assessment of the cost drivers behind BT's recent 50 per cent increase in charges for non-payment by direct debit.

Mr Edward Vaizey: BT’s charges to business customers for payments made other than by direct debit increased on 1 October 2015. It a commercial decision for providers such as BT to determine these charges, however, telecoms providers are regulated and monitored by Ofcom, who review customer satification on a rolling basis. Since January 2014, small business customers (with ten employees or fewer) affected by a mid-contract price increase may be able to leave their contract without penalty under Ofcom rules. Further information about this is on Ofcom's website (http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/ofcom-for-business-consumers/business-contracts).

Outdoor Recreation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department provides to outdoor recreational activities across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: We recognise the importance of outdoor recreation and this is reflected in our new sport and physical activity strategy, published in December 2015. Sport England is currently working with the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) on the ‘Getting Active Outdoors’ insight report - the largest ever of its kind - to get the nation active - particularly children, pensioners and women. In the meantime, Sport England is investing over £68 million in outdoor recreation sports, including £3 million invested in the Britain on Foot campaign, to get more people hillwalking, trail running and mountaineering.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy of 3 December 2015, Official Report, column 512, how business parks can be part of the superfast broadband rollout.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Through the broadband connection voucher scheme, we have connected around 55,000 additional businesses countrywide with superfast broadband, that we know boosts productivity, jobs and security. Analysis from our the scheme rollout alone reported increased profits by £1,300 on average; a new job created for every four new connections; as well as improved security and customer services. Local authorities responsible for the delivery of broadband projects in their area are able to prioritise business parks in their roll-out plans.

Broadband

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, by what date 100 per cent of residents of (a) Kettering constituency and (b) England will have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Based on current delivery plans, it is estimated that 97% of premises in Kettering will have access to superfast broadband by the end of 2017. Additional funding sources, including the gainshare funding that BT have offered in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, will allow coverage to be extended further in Kettering and the rest of the area covered by the Northamptonshire broadband project.The government currently aims to achieve superfast broadband coverage for 95% of UK premises by December 2017, and to extend coverage beyond that as far as possible. As the Prime Minister announced last autumn, the government proposes that by the end of this parliament people should have a legal right to request access to a good level of broadband speed, no matter where they live.

Music: Disability

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of spaces available for disabled people in music venues.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We believe that everyone should have equal access to arts and culture - having a disability should not be a barrier to enjoying Britain's awe-inspiring cultural treasures. That is why we are working with venues and organisations representing disabled people to identify barriers to access, while at the same time seeing how we can share examples of best practice and what more cultural venues need to do to be accessible to people with disabilities. We support the work of Attitude is Everything, which works with audiences, artists and the music industry to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live events. I also recently held a roundtable meeting with Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People, to look at access to cultural venues and events for disabled people.

Football: Television

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure that football supporters from all nations of the UK have equal free access to their national team games aired on television.

Tracey Crouch: I share the enthusiasm of all supporters to be able to watch their home nation on TV. Where home nations compete in the European Championship and World Cup final tournaments, fans can watch them on free to air television as they are Listed Events. Beyond that it is a matter for the Scottish FA to negotiate with UEFA, under a central sales strategy, who broadcasts Scotland qualifying or friendly matches.

BBC: Royal Charters

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the BBC Charter Renewal process.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Good progress is being made on the BBC Charter Review programme.The consultation launched in July received an incredible 192,000 responses. We are committed to reading and analysing all of the responses and reached 150,000 earlier this month.In addition, I have commissioned further reviews and research, including an independent review of governance and regulation led by Sir David Clementi.In the coming months my department will work towards publishing proposals for the future of the BBC.

Public Service Broadcasting

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to improve diversity in public service broadcasting.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This Government is committed to improving diversity in public service broadcasting. We have continued to push on this agenda and keep the spotlight on all major broadcasters. I am encouraged by the steps they have began to take to improve the levels of diversity in the industry but I continue to press them to do more.

Athletics: Drugs

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the second report on the IAAF of the Independent Commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency, published on 15 January 2016.

Tracey Crouch: The findings of the report are disturbing. The government is committed to tackling corruption in sport and we will continue working with UK Anti-Doping and sport stakeholders to ensure that our athletes can compete in a clean sport environment.

Football: Television

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure that football supporters from all nations of the UK have equal free access to their national team games aired on television.

Tracey Crouch: I share the enthusiasm of all supporters to be able to watch their home nation on TV. Where home nations compete in the European Championship and World Cup final tournaments, fans can watch them on free to air television as they are Listed Events. Beyond that it is a matter for the Scottish FA to negotiate with UEFA, under a central sales strategy, who broadcasts Scotland qualifying or friendly matches.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to improve broadband and mobile phone coverage in rural areas.

Mr Edward Vaizey: UK superfast coverage is now almost 90 per cent of premises and we have made it available to 3.5 million homes and businesses and that will rise to over 5 million by the end of 2017.As the Prime Minister announced in November, the Government also intends to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation.

Betting Shops: Staff

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with bookmakers on the single-staffing of high street betting shops.

Tracey Crouch: I meet with the betting industry, Gambling Commission, and other interested organisations regularly. I am aware of the concerns around single-staffing of high street betting shops but expect bookmakers to adhere to their statutory requirements and minimum voluntary standards to protect staff from risk.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Credit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many people will receive a lower pension credit entitlement as a result of the rise of the single saving credit threshold by 5.8 per cent and of the couples' threshold by 5.5 per cent.

Justin Tomlinson: The single rate of the Savings Credit threshold will rise by 5.8 per cent and the couple rate by 5.5 per cent in April 2016; anyone in receipt of Savings Credit will be affected by this change. The latest estimates of Pension Credit recipients split by those in receipt of Guarantee Credit only, Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit, and Savings Credit only are available from the DWP tabtool:http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.htmlThe actual impact of up-rating on someone’s Pension Credit depends on a variety of factors, including the make-up of their other income and how or if it increases annually. For example, the basic State Pension will be increased with earnings under the “triple lock”, and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will also be increased with earnings. Those in receipt of Savings Credit should be better off overall from April 2016 if their State Pension or other income increases.

Universal Credit: Advisory Services

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what personal budgeting advice, and in what format, is provided to recipients of universal credit.

Priti Patel: As part of the assistance being provided under Universal Support, Universal Credit gives budgeting support to help claimants manage their money on a monthly basis and pay bills on time.As well as support offered by work coaches, claimants are offered advice by external organisations with the relevant expertise. This advice is available online, by phone or face-to-face.

Occupational Health

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding his Department has allocated for the expansion of the Fit for Work service; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not routinely publish funding allocations. However, Fit for Work has been provided with sufficient funding to meet its demands for 2015/16, this financial year. Outturn spending will be detailed in DWP’s published Annual Report and Accounts.

Universal Credit: Debts

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that applicants for universal credit are made aware of appropriate debt advice services; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: At the initial meeting, Work Coaches will assess the claimant’s financial capabilities and determine if there is a need for Personal Budgeting Support. If there is, then the claimant can be referred to a range of services including the Money Advice Service. Any claimant identified as being vulnerable and needing an Alternative Payment Arrangement during the course of their claim will be referred for appropriate support.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how access to pension provision at the age of 55 affects eligibility for benefits.

Justin Tomlinson: The rules relating to the treatment of pension funds in means-tested benefits have not changed. How someone’s (or their partner’s) pension fund is treated depends on whether they have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit, and the way in which they have accessed the fund (released money can be treated as either income or capital). Each case is decided on its own circumstances.Information is available in terms of how income and capital are treated in the means-tested benefits. A factsheet on this subject can be found atwww.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-flexibilities-and-dwp-benefits.Further information can also be found in the decision-making guidance at www.gov.uk.

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 21433, how many employees of his Department will be affected by the reduction in the work allowance element of universal credit.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.DWP does not require employees to identify themselves as Universal Credit claimants and therefore does not have a record of the numbers.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff employed by his Department (a) receive working tax credits and (b) work part-time; and what proportion of each such group are women.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested in part (a) is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.On 31 December 2015 in the Department for Work and Pensions 35,834 employees work part-time and 88% of this group are women.

Ministry of Defence

Gulf War Syndrome

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will increase investment in research on rehabilitation, health and social care models that can improve quality of life for ill Gulf War veterans and their families; and if he will make a statement.

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to (a) invest in research on rehabilitation, health and social care models to improve the quality of life for ill Gulf War veterans and (b) communicate the results of US research on those issues to Gulf War veterans living in the UK.

Mark Lancaster: The Government greatly values the service of all 1990-91 Gulf War veterans, particularly as we reach the 25th anniversary of the start of combat operations. We have long accepted that the ill health of some veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War is associated with their service in the Gulf. In such cases compensation may be claimed under the War Pensions Scheme with appropriate medical care provided by the National Health Service across the UK .The Department has funded extensive research into Gulf War illness including some research into rehabilitative therapies for those veterans with persistent symptoms.Our strategy on research topics and studies has been informed and overseen by independent scientific experts nominated by the Medical Research Council taking account of published peer-reviewed international literature and international studies. We have no plans to undertake further research on Gulf War issues. We continue to monitor any Gulf War research that is published round the world including from the United States.

Army Reserve: Northern Ireland

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Army Reserve in made up by Northern Irish soldiers.

Mr Julian Brazier: The information is not held in the format requested as an individual's nationality is recorded as British rather than Northern Irish.There are around 1,870 Army Reserve personnel stationed in Northern Ireland, and this makes up 6.7% of the 28,050 total trained and untrained personnel in the Army Reserve population.

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Anniversaries

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the start of combat operations in the First Gulf War.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to honour the contribution of all those who served in the First Gulf War. The MOD will formally commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the end of combat operations (Operation GRANBY), with a service of commemoration in St Paul's Cathedral, where the Gulf War Memorial is situated, on Friday 26 February 2016.In addition, separate formations in Defence are also planning to mark the anniversary. These include a commemorative service held by the Grenadier Guards at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks; a series of commemorative events hosted by the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, a gathering of veterans hosted by the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars Association, and attendance at and support to an event organised at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) on 28 February to dedicate a new memorial to the conflict. The Royal Air Force will conduct an over-flight of the NMA event using a Tornado aircraft.

Protection of Military Remains Act 1986

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 222936, when he plans to announce which of the 5,000 ships under consideration will be designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

Mark Lancaster: The consultation process as to which ships under consideration will be designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 is at its later stages, and an announcement will be made in due course.

Armed Forces: Codes of Practice

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the most recent Code of Social Conduct was issued for the armed forces; if he will place in the Library a copy of that code: what restrictions that code contains on sexual activity by service personnel; and whether adultery continues to be a ground for discharge from the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces Code of Social Conduct (AF CSC) is contained in Part 1 of Joint Service Publication (JSP) 887 entitled 'Diversity Inclusion and Social Conduct'; this publication was most recently updated in December 2014. A copy of JSP 887 has been placed in the Library of the House.Adultery, per se, does not constitute grounds for dismissal from the Armed Forces. However, if the actions or behaviour of an individual adversely impact, or are likely to impact, on the efficiency or operational effectiveness of the Service then a range of sanctions may be applied, up to and including dismissal.The AF CSC does not provide a prescriptive list of restrictions on sexual activity; it provides examples of the kinds of conduct or relationship that may constitute social misbehaviour. This includes unwelcome sexual attention; over-familiarity with the spouses or partners of other Service personnel; behaviour which damages or hazards the marriage or personal relationships of Service personnel or civilian colleagues within the wider Defence community; and taking sexual advantage of subordinates.The seriousness with which misconduct will be regarded by a Commanding Officer will depend on the individual circumstances that prevail at that time and the potential for adversely affecting operational effectiveness. Nevertheless, misconduct involving abuse of position, trust or rank, or taking advantage of an individual's separation will be viewed as being particularly serious.



JSP 887
(PDF Document, 295.58 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Mark Lancaster: Ministry of Defence Health and Safety Policy states that the requirement to provide First-Aid is delegated to each Top Level Budget Holder (TLB). It is the duty of each TLB to conduct risk assessments of the activities at the establishments/units they control, and supply the necessary equipment and training including first aid equipment. The information requested is therefore not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Reserve Forces

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people who applied to join the Army Reserve in 2015 had their applications withdrawn on medical grounds.

Mr Julian Brazier: Candidates applying to join the Army Reserve are assessed against the same medical eligibility standards as those joining the Regular Army. Candidates withdrawn on medical grounds may be rejected, deferred for set periods of time, or withdraw voluntarily citing medical reasons. The total number of candidates to the Army Reserve who had their applications withdrawn on medical grounds in 2015 is 7,920. This total has been rounded to the nearest 10 in accordance with Defence Statistics policy.

Bahrain: Military Bases

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of potential risks to the safety and security of Royal Navy aircraft carriers being held at anchor offshore in Bahrain.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the security and logistical implications of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers being unable to berth directly alongside the Mina Salman Support Facility in Bahrain.

Mr Philip Dunne: The security and logistical implications of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers while on operations overseas are subject to continual assessment and review. Irrespective of berthing or anchoring arrangements, it is normal business to conduct threat assessments prior to and during all port visits and deployed maintenance periods. This has been and will continue to be no different for Mina Salman port, and other port facilities in Bahrain.The Department does not disclose details of security risks and assessments pertaining to deployed operations as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Syria: Military Intervention

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many attacks by the RAF have been carried out specifically targeting the communications capacity of Daesh in Syria since Parliament authorised such action.

Penny Mordaunt: From 2 December 2015 until 20 January 2016 the Royal Air Force has conducted a total of 22 air strikes against Daesh targets in Syria.The RAF has targeted 11 oil infrastructure targets, one command and control headquarters, and conducted 10 strikes against Daesh fighters and their equipment.

Burkina Faso: Military Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support UK military personnel are providing to the (a) security services and (b) armed forces of Burkina Faso.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK strongly condemns the recent atrocity that took place in Ouagadougou on 15-16 January and is deeply concerned by the spread of violent extremism both into Burkina Faso and across the wider region. We offer our heartfelt sympathies to the families affected by this terrible act of terrorism. The UK is working hard with regional countries; close international partners; and multilateral organisations to increase their capacity to address the security threats they face. Our major regional contributions are in Nigeria; at the HQ of the Multi-National Joint Task Force; and in support of the EU Training Mission in Mali. We are, though, supporting the Burkina Faso armed forces, together with a number of other African militaries, through our participation in regional training exercises.

Home Office

Asylum: Deportation

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers have been deported in each month since May 2010.

James Brokenshire: The term 'deportations' refers to a legal definition of a specific set of removals. Deportations are a specific subset of removals which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The deportation order prohibits the person returning to the UK until such time as it may be revoked. Published information on those deported is not separately available. As such, the question has been interpreted as referring to enforced removals. In an enforced removal, it has been established that a person has breached UK immigration laws and / or has no valid leave to remain in the UK. They have declined to leave voluntarily and the Home Office enforces their departure from the UK.The following table provides the total number of enforced removals of asylum cases, from Q1 2010 to Q3 2015.In the year ending September 2015, there were 3,646 enforced removals of people who had previously sought asylum. The number of enforced asylum removals is influenced by a number of factors including the overall number of applications for asylum and changes in the nationality mix of those applying for asylum (i.e. an increase in those nationalities applying for asylum that are more likely to be granted will lead to fewer asylum removals).The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures by type are available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: July to September 2015, table rv.01q from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.



Enforced removals
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.13 KB)

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency arrangements her Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

James Brokenshire: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency planning her Department is undertaking to prepare for the possibility of a leave vote in the forthcoming referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 14 January 2016



The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Deportation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the guidance on how to make a request for revocation of a deportation order will be republished; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The process of reviewing and revising the guidance is nearing completion, and I anticipate that an updated version will be made available in the Spring of 2016.In the interim, current guidance covering various aspects of deportation order revocation can be found online as below:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-part-13-deportation - paragraphs 390-391 of the Immigration Rules set out the current rules for revocation of a deportation order, and how criminality impacts on this.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-13-criminality-guidance-in-article-8-echr-cases - where family and/or private life considerations are relevant to an application for revocation, this guidance explains how these are considered under Paragraphs 398-399D of the Immigration Rules.

Migrant Workers: Domestic Service

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many domestic workers were deported in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: This question was interpreted as asking for information on enforced removals.A deportation is defined as follows:A person who is not a British citizen is liable for deportation from the United Kingdom if the Secretary of State deems their deportation to be conducive to the public good. A deportation order requires a person to leave the UK and prohibits them from re-entering for an indefinite period. The deportation order invalidates any leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom given before the order is made or while it is in force.Deportations are a specific subset of published removal figures.The table below shows the number of people who entered the UK as a domestic worker and were then deported from the UK in each of the last 5 years. These figures include both deportations and enforced removals.YearNumber of domestic workers deported from the UK20107201111201216201320201414The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Large Goods Vehicles: Refugees

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the new migrant camp being built in Dunkirk does not have a negative effect on UK-bound lorries.

James Brokenshire: Any proposals for accommodation for migrants in Dunkirk, or elsewhere in Northern France, are a matter for the French authorities.The haulage industry is hugely important to UK trade and prosperity and the Government takes the security of UK-bound traffic, as well as the safety of hauliers and tourists using the ports in Northern France, very seriously.The Government has listened to industry concerns and continues to work closely with the French authorities at both political and operational levels on a package of measures to bolster the security of the ports. Action has been taken to improve the flow of traffic at the Juxtaposed Controls; and a new secure waiting area at Calais for UK-bound lorries with capacity for 230 vehicles will be completed by spring 2016. In the interim, Border Force has worked with the Calais port operator and introduced a secure freight circulation and waiting area for around 200 vehicles.Border Force advice for drivers - published on gov.uk - is to alert the authorities of the country they are in as soon as they suspect persons may be seeking to enter their vehicle. The website also provides hauliers and drivers with emergency contact details for the relevant French authorities and is applicable at all the ports in Northern France.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service: Mental Health

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support the mental welfare of officers in the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

Mike Penning: The responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of firefighters rests with individual fire and rescue authorities. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association supports them in this work through its lead on fire and rescue service occupational health matters.The Government announced in October last year the allocation of nearly £10 million to help support 200,000 emergency services personnel and volunteers, funded through LIBOR fines. Of this funding up to £4 million was allocated to mental health charity MIND to develop a programme of targeted mental health support and information for all emergency services personnel across England. The programme includes an anti-stigma campaign, a confidential advice line for emergency service staff, training for leaders and line managers, peer learning events and resources to promote better mental health in the work place.

Greater Manchester Police: Mental Health

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support the mental welfare of officers in the Greater Manchester Police Service.

Mike Penning: The Government recognises the importance of police welfare. In October 2014 we allocated £10m to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support for those who need it. Policing, by its nature, can be a stressful and demanding job and it is the responsibility of chief officers, supported by the College of Policing, to ensure that good management systems are in place to support police in their work.The Home Office is working with the national policing lead on wellbeing and engagement on the development of his strategy but this must remain a sector led initiative.

Visas

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in the UK on a tier 2 visa who will not have their visa renewed when new rules requiring them to be paid at least £35,000 per annum or the going rate in the relevant UK Border Agency Code of Practice, whichever is higher.

James Brokenshire: The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold.Applicants who are not paid the appropriate rate for their occupation, as set out in UK Visas and Immigration codes of practice, cannot be granted an initial Tier 2 visa. The appropriate rate test has applied to settlement applications since 2011.The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This is available on the gov.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.

Right of Abode

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to offer a discounted rate for dependents who apply for a Certificate of Entitlement for Right of Abode in the UK.

James Brokenshire: This Government has no plans to offer discounted rates for such dependants.Income from application fees helps provide the resources necessary to operate the immigration system, with the remainder of funding provided through general taxation. The Government's aim is to reduce the overall contribution of funding that comes from general taxation.

Syria: Refugees

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures the Government has put in place to ensure that the resettlement programme in Lebanon and Jordan is able to identify the most vulnerable people.

James Brokenshire: We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. The scheme was expanded in September 2015 to ensure more of those in the greatest need are resettled in the UK.We are working with UNHCR to intensify their outreach and identification activities in the region, including in Jordan and the Lebanon; to encourage and invite all unregistered populations to avail themselves of UNHCR’s services either by directly approaching UNHCR to register with them or by referral via a third organisation.We are also working with confessional groups and Diaspora communities here and in the region to maximise their awareness of UNHCR’s global mandate and scope for resettlement opportunities and/or to refer any unregistered person to UNHCR for registration and potential assessment according to criteria.

Asylum

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which EU countries her Department has recorded as not complying with the Dublin Convention in their treatment of asylum seekers and other claimants for international protection.

James Brokenshire: The Government accepts that the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling in the case of MSS v Belgium and Greece (21 January 2011) prevents the return of asylum seekers to Greece under the Dublin Regulation until the situation there has improved.

National Crime Agency: European Arrest Warrants

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the National Crime Agency has used the European Arrest Warrant system in the last two years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Honours

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rules are on the use, style and designation in UK passports of UK titles of honour, such as knighthoods, granted to both UK and dual nationals by one of Her Majesty's Commonwealth Realms as well as titles of honour granted by Commonwealth states where the Queen is not Head of State; and whether those rules have been amended or revised in the last five years.

James Brokenshire: British titles of nobility bestowed by the Queen are presented on the biographical page of the British Passport. These include members of the House of Lords, holders of knighthoods and baronetcies as well as Dames of the Realm.The response to parliamentary question 19413 on the 15 November 2015 provided information on awards offered by other countries. Her Majesty’s Passport Office guidance states that a title may be recorded as an observation on the British passport to recognise the holder is also known by another name.Her Majesty’s Passport Office policy on titles has not been revised in the last five years. Published guidance can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/118548/titles-included-in-passports.pdf

Police: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional funds will be provided for armed response police in South Wales; and what proportion of the total additional funding those funds represent.

Mr John Hayes: As announced in the Police Grant Report for England and Wales Written Ministerial Statement on 17 December 2015, this Government will provide £34 million in 2016-17 to enable a national uplift in armed policing capability and capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to a firearms attack. Decisions over where this money will be distributed are yet to be made, however for reasons of national security we do not publically disclose the detailed allocation of funding for counter terrorism by force area or by capability.

Police: Wales

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police constables there were in North Wales in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The table provided contains statistics on the total number of full-time equivalent police officers and the number of these who hold the rank of constable in North Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2015.As HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has made clear, there is no simple link between police numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.



Full-time equivalent police officers
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25 KB)

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the eighth place on the Board of the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority to be filled.

Mike Penning: In agreement with the Chair of the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority (GLA), the intention is to fill these positions once the Immigration Bill has been enacted and reforms to the GLA are confirmed.

Death

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987 to include a requirement to stipulate the time of death.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

International Sikh Youth Federation: Proscribed Organisations

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to lay before Parliament an Order removing the International Sikh Youth Federation from the list of proscribed organisations.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration Controls

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people had their passports checked on entry to the UK at (a) Dover and (b) all UK airports, seaports and ferry ports in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration Controls

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people had their passports checked on exiting the UK at (a) Dover and (b) all UK airports, seaports and ferry ports in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Motor Vehicles: Fees and Charges

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the scenarios and charges in the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 2008 were last reviewed to ascertain whether they should be updated.

Mike Penning: The current scenarios and charging regime in the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicle Regulations dates from 2008, when a table of varying rates for different prescribed scenarios replaced the previous flat rate charge in place since 1989. The Government keeps these scenarios and charges under regular review. Currently, there are no plans to change this.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to answer the letter to her dated 10 December 2015 with regard to Mr S Akhter.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the Rt. Hon. Member on 23 December 2015.

HM Treasury

Offices of Profit under the Crown

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual salary is of the (a) Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds and (b) Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

Harriett Baldwin: The Chiltern Hundreds (of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham), and the Manor of Northstead, are nominally paid offices of the Crown. They do not carry any duties and no salary or other benefits attach to them.

Debts: Advisory Services

Teresa Pearce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the commercial provision of consumer debt advice services.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is very concerned about evidence of consumer detriment in the debt management market. That is why we have given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) robust powers to protect borrowers using debt management firms.For profit debt management plan providers, operating with consumers’ interest at heart and in full compliance with regulatory requirements, can help provide a wider supply of solutions and products for consumers, and help them get in control of problem debts. The Government’s focus has therefore been on comprehensively reforming regulation of this sector, and ensuring firms act in customers’ best interests.The FCA is currently scrutinising debt management firms as part of its authorisation process. Firms which do not meet the required standards will not be able to continue to provide debt management services.

Debts: Advisory Services

Teresa Pearce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for consumer credit licences for debt advice and debt adjusting on a commercial basis have been made in the last 12 months; and how many such applications have been (a) granted, (b) rejected, (c) withdrawn and (d) await a decision.

Teresa Pearce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targets his Department has for the granting, rejection and withdrawal of consumer credit licences for debt advice and debt adjusting on a commercial basis.

Harriett Baldwin: These questions have been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Revenue and Customs: East Kilbride

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of HM Revenue and Customs office closures on the local economy in East Kilbride in 2025-26.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC) long-term plans to consolidate its operations in 13 regional centres are geared towards creating a tax authority fit for the future. The planned locations, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, are based on a number of key principles that will enable it to achieve its objectives at best value for the taxpayer, delivering more for less. In addition to cost, HMRC has taken into account the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, the need to retain staff and skills it requires to continue its ten-year transformation.I would also like to direct the honourable member to my answer of 11 January, which gives further information about East Kilbride.

Rents: Tax Allowances

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications not to pay tax on income from rental properties due to the owner's overseas status were received in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2011-12 and (e) 2010-11.

Mr David Gauke: HMRC does not receive applications not to pay tax on income from rental properties due to overseas status.

Revenue and Customs: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of websites using  the HM Revenue and Customs logo without permission and (b) how many people have paid to use them; and what steps he is taking to identify and proceed against such websites.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a dedicated Customer Protection Team, within its Cyber Security capability, who proactively seek out websites abusing their brand. Such websites fall into two categories: fraudulent websites that seek to dupe unsuspecting customers into divulging personal information and websites which inappropriately use the HMRC brand and/or logo in order to purvey an affiliation with HMRC when offering services to customers.HMRC’s Customer Protection Team has taken down over 15,000 fraudulent websites in the last year and taken successful action against 130 websites inappropriately using the HMRC brand.The Customer Protection Team utilises a blended approach of internally developed tools and processes alongside partnerships with leading third parties, search engines and enforcement agencies, such as the National Trading Standards Board e-Crime Unit, to take action against any websites using the HMRC logo or brand without permission, undertaking criminal proceedings where appropriate.

Privatisation

Anne McLaughlin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what government assets and services have been privatised in each year since 2010; what the pre-sale valuation was of each such asset or service; and what income was generated by each such privatisation.

Greg Hands: The proceeds obtained from government asset sales that are listed for the financial years 2010-15 can be obtained from the “Summer Budget 2015 data sources”, p20, which is available here, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443273/Data_sources_-_Summer_Budget_2015.pdfAnnouncements are available on gov.uk for sales since Summer Budget 2015 of RBS, Royal Mail, former Northern Rock mortgages and further sales of Lloyds Banking Group shares.

River Thames: Bridges

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether donations to the proposed London Garden Bridge by corporate bodies are tax deductible.

Mr David Gauke: The Garden Bridge Trust is a body dedicated to creating the London Garden Bridge and to advancing public education and training in horticulture and arboriculture on the Garden. It is registered as a UK charity.The UK corporation tax system provides for relief to companies for qualifying donations or payments to charities.Hence, donations made by corporates to the Garden Bridge Trust will be deductible from their corporation tax liability in the limits set out by legislation.

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an estimate of how many people in each region and parliamentary constituency will benefit from the rise in the income tax personal allowance to £11,000 on 6 April 2016.

Mr David Gauke: The Government estimates that the increase in the personal allowance to £11,000 in 2016/17 will reduce the income tax liability for 29.2 million individuals in the UK.

Mortgages: Occupied Territories

Hilary Benn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2016 to Question 21322, which body is responsible for providing advice to UK banks and building societies offering mortgages on properties in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Harriett Baldwin: There is no body with formal responsibility for providing advice to UK banks and building societies offering first charge mortgages on properties outside of the UK.The regulation of first charge mortgages in a territory outside of the UK is a matter for the legal and regulatory framework in that territory.

Revenue and Customs: Logos

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department provides to partner organisations on using the HM Revenue and Customs logo in such a way as to make it clear to consumers the difference between legitimate partner organisations and scam websites.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has strict brand guidelines around the use of its logo. Only in very occasional circumstances will it allow a third-party supplier to use the HMRC logo alongside its own, when it is providing direct services to customers on behalf of HMRC.HMRC is among the most phished brands in the world and is constantly vigilant against the fraudulent use of its logo and brand. Where such misuse is identified, HMRC will take a range of actions to protect customers from fraud, including:demanding the removal of the logo by the third partylegal actionworking with internet service providers to remove websitesproactively publicising to customers when new phishing websites are found providing publicity advice to keep safe online.Since July 2014, HMRC has closed 22,210 fake websites. The Government also provides guidance on gov.uk on the types of genuine communication that customers can expect from the department.

Credit Unions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help credit unions compete in the personal loans and savings market.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has taken significant steps to help credit unions compete in the personal loans and savings market. These include increasing the maximum interest rate that credit unions can charge on loans from 2% to 3% per month; investing £38m in the sector through the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Credit Union Expansion Project; ensuring that universal credit and pensions payments can be paid into any credit union account; providing £500,000 to help armed forces personnel access credit union services; and changing legislation to allow credit unions to admit corporate members.The Government has also provided £650,000 to fund the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ‘LifeSavers’ project. This project forms partnerships between primary schools and local credit unions, raising awareness of the credit union movement and encouraging more junior savers to become members.In addition the Government has also introduced an amendment to the Bank of England Bill 2015 to support financial mutuals. It amends the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority’s General Regulatory Principles to ensure that both regulators take account of the differences between mutual societies and other types of firm (where appropriate) whenever they are discharging their general objectives.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Gas Fired Power Stations: Construction

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that new gas-fired power stations are built in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: Gas generation currently forms an integral part of the UK’s electricity mix and it will continue to do so over the coming decades as we decarbonise our electricity system; it is the cleanest fossil fuel and is one of the most flexible and reliable sources of electricity. We have said that we will consult on regulating the closure of all coal power stations by 2025. This gives an important investment signal to new gas developers.The Capacity Market is in place to drive investment in new capacity such as building new gas-fired power stations when they are required. We have just run the second capacity auction which was successful in securing the capacity we needed at good value for consumers. We are currently reviewing whether the current framework maintains the confidence of gas investors, and will make any adjustments necessary to build on the success of the first two auctions.

Electricity Generation

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what level of financial return the Government expects from diesel generators who will benefit from payments through the capacity market.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government itself will not make any financial return from generators participating in the capacity market. As with all types of capacity, diesel generators that have been successful in the second capacity market will receive a payment of £18/kw in return for providing electricity at short notice when the system requires it; and may have other sources of revenue outside the capacity market. Diesel engines are a flexible form of capacity that run for short periods to meet peaks in demand, and can reduce the consumer bill impacts by lowering the cost of securing the necessary capacity.

Energy: Taxation

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which local authorities have sought access to funds raised through the Energy Company Obligation and other green and social levies on energy bills.

Andrea Leadsom: Schemes such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) place statutory requirements on energy suppliers to undertake certain activities. As such they do not create funds that are collected by central Government. Local Authorities have worked with energy suppliers on the delivery of energy efficiency measures under ECO. The form of this involvement varies. The Department issues data on ECO delivery by local authority area.The latest statistics the Department published on Local Authority breakdowns (covering the period up to the end of September 2015) is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-headline-release-december-2015

Renewable Energy

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 205 to Question 19617, what level of detail would not risk potential disclosure of confidential information consequent upon the listing of overspend against original estimates within the levy control framework arising from each of (a) performance of offshore wind, (b) levels between strike price and reference price and (v) variations in allocations of feed-in tariff payments for solar PV installations.

Andrea Leadsom: In addition to the information previously identified (e.g. fossil fuel prices, electricity demand), many other assumptions that underpin Levy Control Framework (LCF) forecasts are already in the public domain.For example, strike prices for signed Contracts for Difference are available on the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) website, Renewable Obligation and Feed in Tariff Scheme deployment data is published monthly on the Renewable Energy Planning Database and Ofgem’s website respectively, with latest technology-level data on load factors published as part of DECC’s Energy Trends series.[1] Scheme-specific assumptions are also published for the Renewables Obligation (when setting the level of the Obligation[2]), Feed-in Tariffs (as part of the recently-published Review[3]) and the CfD (as part of the Allocation Framework notice[4]).We are unable to release some commercially sensitive data, particularly where it would affect specific projects or companies (e.g. projected load factors or the exact commissioningdates). Doing so could undermine potential future CfD competition. We will publish an updated set of LCF projections, as well as the technology and scheme-specific assumptions underpinning the latest forecasts, in due course.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-trends-december-2015[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewables-obligation-level-calculations201617[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-review-of-the-feed-in-tariff-scheme[4] Appendix 3 of https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/404419/Contract_for_Difference_Final_Allocation_Framework_for_the_October_2014_Allocation_Round_1_September_2014.pdf

Climate Change Convention: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on implementing the conclusions of the COP21 climate conference in Paris.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt hon Friend, the Secretary of State regularly engages her colleagues in the Devolved Administrations on UK energy and climate change policies and supported the attendance of Ministers from each Devolved Administration at the UN Conference of Parties in Paris last year as part of the UK delegation, including the Northern Ireland minister for the environment, Mark Durkan.The Agreement reached in Paris is an historic step forward, committing almost 200 countries to action to which they will be held to account for the first time ever.In line with the obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government is committed to tackling climate change in line with our carbon budgets.

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of (a) known available oil and gas reserves and (b) reserves estimated to be found as a result of fracking she plans to be left unexploited.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 19 January 2016



The amount of exploitable oil and gas reserves is determined by their commercial viability, which is a decision for industry. The shale gas industry in the UK is still at a very early stage and production has not yet started. The Government will not be able to forecast the scale or timing of shale development until the results from first exploration sites are available and it is possible to estimate the extent of gas that can be technically and commercially recovered.

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Government plans to spend from the public purse on supporting or enabling exploratory and productive fracking in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 19 January 2016



The Government supports the safe and sustainable development of unconventional hydrocarbons, but we will not subsidise shale gas development. Exploration and production are a commercial matter for developers.The Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO) has been established within DECC to lead on the policy area and co-ordinate work with other Government Departments and regulators. This is to encourage the development of the UK’s shale industry whilst ensuring that robust regulations are in place to safeguard public safety and protect the environment.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.

Andrea Leadsom: The number of defibrillators held in buildings managed by the Department is as follows:BuildingNo. of defibrillators3 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2AW155 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EW1Atholl House, 86-88 Guild Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6AR1

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what expenditure has been allocated to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

Andrea Leadsom: The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is funded by industry through arrangements for it to charge nuclear sites for provision of service to those sites, as set out in the Energy Act 2004. The published Civil Nuclear Police Authority business plan sets out the forecast expenditure up to 2017/18:Financial year (£000)2014-15 (actual)2015/16 (budget)2016/17 (budget)2017/18 (budget)Staff Costs71,29678,20383,70087,200Non-Staff Costs21,39228,07732,00031,500Capital Spending2,0063,3644,5001,600Some costs that are not for provision of service to nuclear sites, such as the cost of redundancies or employment tribunals, and including other factors cannot be charged to industry and are covered by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In 2015/16, £268,000 has been budgeted to cover such costs by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many police officers of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary she estimates will be deployed in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

Andrea Leadsom: Estimates of Civil Nuclear Constabulary deployment fluctuate depending on the forecast levels of protection needed for sites and materials in transit. As sites move to decommissioning the numbers of officers will fall, and will conversely increase as any new nuclear facilities come on line.Current deployment figures provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and estimates for deployed officer numbers in future years are below. These figures are for operational officers and Special Envoy Groups (Civil Nuclear Constabulary Officers charged with protecting nuclear material in transit). Figures do not include officers in training, dog handling, or administration.Financial year2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-2020Operationally deployed officer number111311181037987931

Environmental Protection: Taxation

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what projection she has made for the Levy Control Framework budget for renewables in each year up to 2020.

Andrea Leadsom: On 25 November 2015, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published projected annual spend under the Levy Control Framework (LCF), in nominal prices, to 2020/21. This is set out in Table 4.15 of the OBR’s Economic and FiscalOutlook report and is described as environmental levies(http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/EFO_November__2015.pdf).A breakdown of annual LCF spend projections up to 2020, in nominal prices, is set out in the fiscal supplementary table 2.7 athttp://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/Fiscal__Supplementary__Tables_November__2015.xls.

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.

Andrea Leadsom: The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Solar Power: Companies

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many solar power companies there were in (a) Lancashire, (b) the North West and (c) Britain in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013, (v) 2014 and (vi) 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC does not hold information on the number of solar power companies. However, data on the number of solar photovoltaic installations (including households) by UK region, are available for 2010 to 2014. This is given in the table below. DECC does not hold information by UK county. Data for 2015 for the UK as a whole will be available on 28 January 2016, and by region in September 2016.End-2010End-2011End-2012End-2013End-2014North-West England1,40417,72333,20841,96054,583Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)25,684221,000374,778465,678574,582Source: Regional Renewables Statistics, 2003-2014, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statisticsData by Local Authority (for 2014 only) are available on the same link. Monthly solar installations data for the UK as a whole are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment

Renewable Energy: VAT

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what impact assessment her Department has conducted of the proposed increase in the rate of VAT for solar and other renewables to 20 per cent.

Andrea Leadsom: This is a measure led by HMRC and currently only a proposal being consulted on. If following consultation this change is introduced, we will carefully consider its impact.

Carbon Sequestration

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effects of ending funding for Carbon Capture Storage on employment and carbon reduction targets in (a) the North West and (b) the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Flood Control: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to help review and improve sea defences in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: Sea defences are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.On 9 December 2015, the Chancellor announced an additional £51 million to support households and businesses affected by floods, which includes an allocation of £1.3 million to Northern Ireland. It is up to the Executive how this money is spent.

Northern Ireland Office: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Department is based at two locations; one in Belfast and one in London. There is no defibrillator on site in Belfast. The London office is situated in a building which is shared between several Government departments and there are 10 defibrillators on site.

Suicide: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of the legacy of the troubles on changes to the number of deaths by suicide in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I acknowledge the sense of devastation felt by families and communities bereaved by suicide. The Stormont House Agreement set out proposals to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past, including a Mental Trauma Service to be established and to work closely with the Victims and Survivors Service. This work is currently being taken forward by the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in partnership with the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Elections

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has held with the Chief Electoral Officer on steps to ensure that the count of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in May 2016 is carried out efficiently and is not subject to undue delays.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Northern Ireland Office is in regular contact with the Chief Electoral Officer. I am confident that he is taking all necessary steps to ensure the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, including the count, are delivered as efficiently as possible. Single Transferable Vote counts by their nature take longer than those in “first past the post” elections, and the Chief Electoral Officer’s primary consideration has to be the accuracy of the count. However, he has put in place a number of measures to improve the speed of the count, including testing for count staff and modifications to the process for verifying ballot papers.

Leader of the House

Supply Estimates: Reform

Alan Brown: To ask the Leader of the House, what progress the Government is making on reform of the Estimates process.

Chris Grayling: Estimates are formal requests for authorisation of expenditure proposed to the House by the Government. Scrutiny of these, which are effectively departmental budgets, is undertaken in a variety of ways including debates selected by the Liaison Committee and it is open to select committees to examine these budgets.The Procedure Committee has recently announced that it will examine the House’s procedures for examining the Estimates and the passing of legislation which authorises this expenditure through the Supply and Consideration Bill.The Committee is accepting written submissions until 25 March 2016.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce food waste.

Rory Stewart: Through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Government has made significant progress to reduce food waste through the Courtauld Commitment, the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign and the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement.Household food waste reduced by 15% between 2007 and 2012 and Courtauld Commitment signatories reported a reduction in supply chain waste of 7.4% from 2009 to 2012, with interim results for Courtauld 3 showing a further 3.2% reduction by 2014.Interim results for the Hospitality Agreement show signatories achieved a reduction in CO2e emissions of 3.6% by preventing food waste and the food and packaging recycling rate rose from 45% to 57% between 2012 and 2014.WRAP is currently brokering a new agreement with the food sector to build on this success. The Courtauld Commitment 2025 will take a whole food supply chain approach to food sustainability and will include new ambitious targets to reduce food waste. Courtauld 2025 is expected to be launched in March 2016.

Floods

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department is providing to businesses which have been affected by floods to help them make resilient repairs to their properties.

Rory Stewart: As part of the Government’s £200m recovery support package those business affected by the flooding can access Business Support Grants and business rate relief. In addition businesses are eligible for the Property Level Resilience Scheme which is being administered by Local Authorities. This provides up to £5000 per flooded property to make resilient repairs.The Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service (CRSS) provides advice, guidance and tailored sector support to help organisations adapt to the changing climate. This includes a Business Resilience Healthcheck (BRHC). This was developed with Business in the Community and Climate UK (CUK) to help businesses identify their vulnerability to a number of risks, including severe weather events and climate change.

Dogs: Imports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the number and countries of origin were of dogs imported into the UK for (a) non-commercial reasons under PETS and (b) commercial reasons.

George Eustice: For imports under the Pet Travel Scheme, a record is made of the country that prepared the relevant documentation. This will not always be the country of origin.The majority of pets entering Great Britain have UK pet passports, suggesting that they are returning with their owners from a holiday or visit abroad.Data is collated by a range of third parties, typically transport companies approved to carry pet animals and it is not possible for the Government to guarantee the accuracy of the statistics.I have attached the available information on commercial and non-commercial imports of dogs for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.



Commercial Imports 2015
(PDF Document, 119.27 KB)




Imports of Dogs during 2015
(PDF Document, 99.01 KB)

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been budgeted for compensation payments to residential and business properties affected by the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Rory Stewart: Compensation payments for owners of residential or business properties which are acquired pursuant to the development consent order for the Thames Tideway Tunnel (TTT) are a matter for either Thames Water Utilities Limited or Bazalgette Tunnel Limited (trading as Tideway and being the licensed infrastructure provider that will finance, own, build and operate the tunnel). Provision for such compensation payments is included in the overall budget for the construction of the TTT. In the case of Thames Water Utilities Limited, these costs are included within their price control for the period 2015-2020 as determined by Ofwat. In the case of Bazalgette Tunnel Limited, the cost is within the overall budget included within the project licence granted to Tideway by Ofwat. The amount set aside for these compensation payments are commercially sensitive so cannot be disclosed.

Rights of Way

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) length and (b) number of public byways open to all traffic in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The Department does not hold centrally any information on the length and number of byways open to all traffic in the United Kingdom. In 2005 it was estimated that there was over 4,000 km of byways open to all traffic in England.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Bodies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implications of the proposed extension of the Business Impact Target as set out in the Enterprise Bill for the work of (a) the Environment Agency, (b) the Forestry Commission, (c) the Marine Management Organisation, (d) Natural England, (e) the Water Services Regulation Authority and (f) the Farriers Registration Council; and what such discussions she has had on (i) the Food Standards Agency, (ii) the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority and (iii) the Groceries Code Adjudicator insofar as those bodies relate to her Department's responsibilities.

George Eustice: My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, will shortly issue a public consultation seeking views on the statutory regulators proposed to be brought within scope of the Business Impact Target, with a view to introducing the necessary secondary legislation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Bodies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effects of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 on the (a) Animal and Plant Health Agency, (b) Drinking Water Inspectorate, (c) Fish Health Inspectorate, Cefas, (d)  Rural Payments Agency and (e) Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

George Eustice: The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 creates a legal obligation on the Government of the day to publish a business impact target, covering the economic impact of new regulation on business and civil society organisations.The Business Impact Target currently applies to legislation and regulatory activity undertaken by UK Ministers, including the activities of non-statutory regulators who exercise regulatory functions for or on behalf of UK Ministers. The Act also sets out reporting requirements to Parliament in relation to any qualifying regulatory provisions introduced by these bodies.

Thames Flood Barrier

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what projection her Department has made of use of the Thames Barrier in each of the next five years.

Rory Stewart: The Thames Barrier will be required to close more frequently due to sea level rise but it is projected to protect London from tidal flooding to its designed standard until 2070.The Environment Agency monitors a number of indicators to ensure that this projection remains valid but does not develop projections of the number of closures on a year on year basis.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Air Pollution

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department work on air quality.

George Eustice: As at 18 January 2016 there were 37 staff working on air quality in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Additional staff are available to work on this policy area as and when needed.

Department of Health

Hospitals: Greater Manchester

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what process was used for the appointment of Sir Jonathan Michael to lead the Independent Review to assess the potential benefits of aligning hospital services in Manchester.

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Independent Review to assess the potential benefits of aligning hospital services in Manchester is being funded; and whether the head of the review, Sir Jonathan Michael, will be remunerated for carrying out that role.

Ben Gummer: These are matters for the local National Health Service.The NHS needs to ensure it is delivering the highest quality care and the best clinical outcomes for patients.Accordingly, the NHS in Manchester has commissioned an independent review of hospital services to identify where changes might be required to ensure consistently high standards of care.

Nurses: Training

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 11 January 2016, Official Report, column 238WH, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of unsuccessful applicants for nursing training courses who met the entry criteria.

Ben Gummer: Information relating to the number and proportion of unsuccessful applicants is not collected by the Department.The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service collect and publish figures on the number of applications and the number of applicants accepted by subject for full-time undergraduate courses. However this data does not provide information on how many of the unsuccessful applicants to nursing would meet the entry criteria.The existing cap on the number of student places imposed by Health Education England means universities are limited to only offering places made available within the cap, plus a percentage above this to account for applicants offered places choosing other universities. Universities cannot accept more candidates who may meet entry criteria places as the number of places is capped.As part of the reforms to health higher education we are abolishing this cap, enabling universities to recruit as many eligible applicants as they choose.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of junior doctors who work on average more than (i) 48, (ii) 56, (iii) 72 and (iv) 91 hours a week.

Ben Gummer: The Electronic Staff Record System shows that 1% (around 500) of junior doctors receive a Band 3 pay supplement – 100% addition to basic salary - which applies to working patterns that are in breach of the current contractual limits on hours or rest.The Working Time Regulations (WTR), which provide the same protection to junior doctors as to other workers, limit working hours to an average of 48 per week. Junior doctors, as is the case for all workers, may choose to opt-out of the WTR and work beyond the limits; however, where they do so, their contract imposes a limit of 56 hours per week.The vast majority – 99% - of junior doctors are working average hours within these current limits of 48 or 56 per week.Under the proposed new contract the limits on average weekly hours will continue to apply and there will also be limits that go further. There will be a cap on the maximum number of hours that junior doctors can work in any one week: whilst it is possible under the WTR to work 91 hours in a single week and still remain within the 48 hour weekly average, the proposed new contract will limit the maximum number of hours that can be worked in a single week to 72.

General Practitioners: Essex

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will provide additional resources to North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group to allow GP surgeries in that group's area to take on new patients.

Alistair Burt: The Department is aware that three general practitioner practices in Clacton have temporarily closed their list to new patients. This is a matter for NHS England.NHS England advises that it is working with these practices to agree actions needed to re-open their lists in the near future.

Hospital Beds

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average time was from a patient being declared fit to leave hospital to their discharge in (a) St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, (b) each health trust in Merseyside and (c) England in the last period for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: This information is not available in the format requested.Official statistics for NHS trusts in England are published by NHS England on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month for all patients delayed throughout the month. The latest publication of this data was for delays occurring in November 2015 and was published on 14 January 2016.It is not possible to calculate a waiting time for discharge from these data.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what evaluation has been carried out of commissioning plans to ensure that those plans are implementing choice of mental health provider and team since April 2014.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements have been made to ensure that existing and new mental health services providers are able to secure contracts to provide services under an NHS Standard Contract since the introduction of patients' legal right to choice in mental health in April 2014.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to (a) publicise patients' rights to choice over their mental health provider, (b) inform patients where they can find information about mental health providers and teams in order to help them make choices and (c) inform patients how they can complain if they feel they have not been offered a choice in their mental health care.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of clinical commissioning groups that are ensuring patients in their area have a choice of mental health services.

Alistair Burt: The guidance on patients’ choice in mental health care, published by NHS England in 2014, details the expectation on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in respect of their contracting practices, stating that commissioners are required to secure services that meet the needs of the populations for which they are responsible. In doing so, CCGs must ensure that arrangements are in place for providers, irrespective of whether they are public, independent or third sector organisations, to qualify and secure NHS Standard Contracts for the provision of services.When making commissioning decisions, commissioners should regularly review the patterns and trends of patients exercising their legal right to choice, and consider the extent to which they are meeting patients’ needs and preferences and take account of this in their commissioning plans and strategies.CCGs are required by the NHS Planning Guidance (2016/17 – 2020/21) to produce five-year Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP) and one-year Operational Plans. The STP will include plans for a radical upgrade in patient choice and control, which will significantly improve patient choice by 2020.CCGs are required to submit these plans to NHS England for review and assurance. The NHS England choice team are part of this process.To support commissioners, referrers and providers, NHS England published guidance on ‘implementing patients’ legal rights to choose the provider and team for their mental health care’, in August 2014. The guidance seeks to promote a common understanding of what mental health patients’ legal rights are, where they apply, and what they mean in everyday practice. The guidance should enable consistency in the application of these rights, while also acknowledging the need for clinical judgments and decisions according to the circumstances of individual patients.Following the release of the guidance, the NHS England choice team has responded to a number of patient, provider and commissioner queries and concerns regarding choice. Detailed work with local economies and partners such as Monitor, has been undertaken to address concerns, with any resulting learning being shared with the sector to improve the operation of choice in other localities.There is also information on the NHS Choices website, which covers all aspects of exercising choice in mental health services. It explains patients’ legal rights, what this will mean in terms of what the process should be, where to find information, helpful checklists and a number of useful links. This information can be found at the following web-link:http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/mental-health/Pages/your-legal-right-to-choice.aspxAs of April 2015, the NHS Choice Framework includes a patient’s legal right to choice of mental healthcare provider for their first appointment as an outpatient, reflecting the changes to the exemption from choice in mental health services made in April 2015. The Framework provides guidance on where patients can find the information and support they need to help them make their choice and how to complain if they do not feel they have been offered a choice.NHS England ran a national survey in 2015, which included 2,700 patients who had been referred for an outpatient appointment (all services) by their general practitioner. It found that 51% of patients were aware of their right to choose where they attended for outpatient appointments and, where they had been offered a choice, most said they had done so with adequate information (89%) and were able to attend their preferred hospital or clinic (92%).

Self-Harm: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people under 18 have been admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: While information on the number of children and young people admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm is not available, the table below shows the total number of admissions in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.The table provides a count of finished admission episodes with an external cause of self-harm and a patient age between 0-17 years for 2009-10 to 2014-15. This is a count of admissions, not people as the same person may have been discharged on more than one occasion during the same year.Year2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Admissions12,94413,99513,23114,78019,57719,647Source Hospital Episode Statistics dataIn 2013, specific guidance around the recording of self-harm codes on patients admitted via accident and emergency was issued to all providers. This may explain the increase between 2012-13 and 2013-14; which means that figures between these two years cannot be fairly compared.

Members: Correspondence

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to respond to the letter sent to him dated 23 February 2015 on prescription charges for people with long-term conditions by the Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Respiratory Health, Parkinson's, Motor Neurone Disease, HIV and AIDS, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia and Heart Disease.

Jane Ellison: The Department responded to the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health’s letter of 23 February 2015 on 2 April 2015.

Junior Doctors: Industrial Disputes

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what dates ACAS conciliation talks between his Department and the BMA on the junior doctors' dispute have taken place; at what time each such meeting started and finished; and for what dates future such meetings are planned.

Ben Gummer: The first round of ACAS meetings took place on 26 to 30 November 2015 and resulted in strike action being postponed. Following the ACAS meetings, the Department, NHS Employers and the British Medical Association (BMA) continued to discuss proposed changes to the junior doctor contract.Constructive talks ran until 4 January when the BMA announced that, contrary to the understanding of the management side negotiators, they did not feel that enough progress had been made and announced further dates for industrial action in January and February.The Department and NHS Employers asked the BMA to agree to ask ACAS to return to the talks. Meetings were held with ACAS on the 8, 14 and 15 of January. Further meetings were scheduled this week.We are pleased that on 19 January 2016 the BMA agreed to suspend further action planned for 48 hours from 26 to 28 January, with cover for emergency care. However, they have not agreed to suspend action planned for 10 February when junior doctors will withdraw their labour, including from providing any emergency care.The Government and junior doctors want to do the same thing by improving patient care at weekends and we look forward to further constructive discussions.